


Solar Eclipse Eyes

by theunembarrassedalto



Category: Welcome to Night Vale
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, M/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-02-02
Updated: 2014-04-04
Packaged: 2018-01-10 21:48:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,511
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1164917
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theunembarrassedalto/pseuds/theunembarrassedalto
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Carlos Rodriguez, junior biochemistry major, transfers to Night Vale University, he's not expecting what he finds: the most bizarre place, populated with the most bizarre people, that he could ever have imagined. And he certainly was not expecting the flamboyant, mysterious, and– attractive?– Cecil Palmer.</p>
<p>A Night Vale college AU in progress, featuring the central cast of characters, Night Vale weirdness adapted to a university setting, as many references to the show as possible, and, of course, the dark shadow of Strex, just beneath the surface.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Move-In Day

As he is hauling his last box up the stairs to his new dorm room, it occurs to Carlos, not for the first time, that purple and black are really fucking weird school colors.

Not that the rest of the school doesn't also seem really fucking weird. Honestly, he’s not even sure what he’s doing here. Night Vale University, in the Middle-of-Fucking-Nowhere, Arizona. All he knows is that Boston University was really starting to get on his nerves, and NVU’s sciences program came highly recommended by his previous advisor, and, well, he’d have taken any way to get out at that point. And now it’s January and colder than he thought the desert would be, and here he is, unpacking his beat-up Prius and hoping to the god he doesn’t believe in that he’s made the right decision. There must have been something pulling him here, some sort of appeal, but under the watchful eyes of the creepily ever-present campus police, as countless multicolored helicopters fly overhead (they must be near some sort of military base, he thinks, but he's not sure), he's not sure what it was.

He drops the box, which is full of past science textbooks, on the floor beside his bed and looks around, hands on his hips. He’s only been here for an hour, but there’s still no sign of his roommate. The only thing he knows about the guy is that his name is Earl Harlan, and from the look of it, he’s probably a big sports guy. There’s a Costco-sized container of some sort of protein vitamin under his bed, and a partially-zipped gym bag thrown over the desk chair.

Carlos is humming to himself and putting his books on a shelf above his desk when there’s a knock on the door. He opens it, and is met with a pretty African-American girl in a purple blouse and jeans, her hair in countless tiny braids hanging to her waist.

“Oh,” she says, “you’re not Earl.”

“Um, no. I’m just moving in–”

“You must be Carlos, then, right?” she says. “Earl mentioned that he was getting a new roommate. Nice to meet you. I’m Dana, Dana Friedman.” She sticks out her hand and grins. “You’re a transfer?”

“Yeah,” he says, returning the handshake. “From BU. Biochem. I’m a junior.”

“Oh, so you’re Earl’s year,” she says. “I’m a freshman. Most of my friends are juniors, though. So– Earl isn’t here, then?”

“No, I haven’t seen him,” Carlos says. “I haven’t been here long, though, either.”

Dana rolls her eyes. “He was _supposed_ to meet us at Big Rico’s this afternoon and never showed. I thought I’d come over to make sure he was okay. Do you want any help unpacking or anything?”

“Um– thanks, but I think I’m good,” he says. He is a little bewildered by this fast-talking girl, and he has no idea what "Big Rico's" is, and he's starting to think that he shouldn't have opened the door in the first place but, hey, a new college, a new start, and new friends, right? He takes a deep breath. Calm, Carlos, calm. Be cool. “I mean, if you want to stay and wait for him, I’m sure it’s probably fine? If you want to come in?” Okay, not cool, but not as socially awkward as usual, so he thinks he must be on the right track.

“Thanks,” she says, and breezes past him, throwing herself onto his absent roommate’s bed. “I’ll call him, maybe he’ll actually answer this time.” She pulls an iPhone out of her pocket and Carlos goes back to unpacking his books, glancing over at her every few seconds, unconsciously biting his lip.

She hangs up after a moment, shaking her head. “Asshole. He never answers his phone,” she says. “For a Boy Scout, that guy is not exactly the paragon of being prepared.” She kicks off her black leather combat boots and reclines on the bed, looking perfectly at home. “So, Carlos, tell me about yourself.”

“Um,” he says. “Um, there isn’t much to tell.”

“Oh, come on,” she says. "You must have some interesting things to say." Carlos can feel a blush rising in his cheeks, but he is saved from having to reply by the door opening.

The newcomer is a skinny, short redheaded guy with a backpack slung over one shoulder. “Oh, _there_ you are,” Dana says. “I’ve just met your new roommate. Where were you?”

“Library,” says the boy. Carlos realizes he must be his new roommate, though he admits that Earl does not much look like how Carlos imagined him. “I was doing that lab report for bio.”

“It’s Saturday, you have no excuse to be doing homework. And you totally ditched us at Big Rico’s,” she says. “Cecil missed you, you know. We were wondering if you were still alive.”

Earl blinks at her. “Cecil missed me?”

“Oh, for heaven’s sake, forget your schoolboy crush for a minute and introduce yourself,” says Dana. “Or shall I? Carlos, this is Earl Harlan, pathetic exercise science major and nerd extraordinaire. Earl, this is Carlos, your new roomie. He’s a biochem major from BU and he seems cool.”

“Get off my bed, Dana,” says Earl. “Hi, Carlos. It’s nice to meet you.” He sticks out a hand awkwardly, which Carlos shakes. “Sorry about your unexpected intruder.”

“He asked me to stay,” Dana points out. “Anyway. I’m glad you’re still breathing, and you can still redeem yourself, because we’re going to the Moonlite later and you should come. You can even ask your cool new roomie along.” She grins.

“Er,” says Carlos. 

“Dana, stop forcing people into social situations,” says Earl with a sigh. “Carlos, if you want to come along and meet the crew, you’re more than welcome. If Dana hasn’t already scared you off. But don’t feel obligated or anything.”

“Um,” says Carlos.

“Oh, _do_ come along,” says Dana. “I’m sure everyone would be delighted to meet you.” She smiles at him, flashing brilliant white teeth.

“Well,” says Carlos, “if you’re sure, I guess.”

“Oh, hooray!” Dana practically sings it. “We’re going to meet up at Cecil’s room around six. See you then!” She blows kisses to both boys and dances out of the room.

“Sorry about her,” says Earl once the door has closed behind her. “Dana’s sweet, she just comes on a little strong. Um, so yeah, it’s nice to meet you?”

“Right,” says Carlos. “It’s nice to meet you too.”

“If you don’t want to come,” says Earl, “you really don’t have to. I know you just got here and it can be a little overwhelming. Not that, you know, you can’t come if you do want to, I mean, we’re always happy to have new people– anyway.”

“No,” says Carlos, “I’d like to.”

Earl grins at him. “You say that now,” he says. “Just wait until you meet everyone.”

Carlos smiles, and another thought occurs to him, not for the first time, which is that he doesn’t really know what he’s getting himself into.

_Well,_ he thinks, _it’s too late to go back now._


	2. Lights in the Sky

Carlos spends the next few hours continuing to unpack, in a slightly awkward silence with Earl, who sits on his bed and reads from a large biology textbook. His side of the room isn’t spacious, but he doesn’t have much stuff, and when he finishes, he sits on his bed and pulls out his phone to check messages.

There’s a text from Elena, his younger sister, reading “Good luck! :)”. Nothing from his parents, not that he’s surprised. They don’t care much what he does. He can’t even remember the last time he talked to his father. Elena is the only one who even bothers to keep in touch. He does miss her; she’s a senior in high school now, back in California. He sends a reply, saying thanks and asking how she is, and glances over again at his roommate.

“So how do you like it here?” he asks Earl cautiously. Earl starts in surprise and looks up at him.

“Oh! Sorry. I was off in dreamland. Um, it’s a good school,” he says. “A little... weird, but good. And there are some really cool people. You’ll meet them tonight. Well, you already met Dana, but– the rest of the group is cool, too.”

“I’m sure,” Carlos says. “Er– where are we all going?”

“Oh! On Saturday nights we usually camp out in the Moonlite All-Nite Diner until some unholy hour of the morning,” Earl explains. “It’s just off campus. Not a long walk. We just talk, or whatever.”

Carlos nods. “Cool. Well, I look forward to meeting them.”

The awkward silence resumes, and lasts for another interminable half an hour until there’s another knock on the door. Carlos sits up to get it, but Earl is already off his bed and across the room. “I got it,” he says, as if it wasn’t obvious.

On the other side of the door is the most gorgeous young man Carlos has ever seen. He’s a medium-height, slender boy with golden-tanned skin, white-blonde hair, and purple-framed rectangular glasses. The sleeves of his collared white shirt are rolled up, revealing complex tattoos on both his forearms, featuring wavy lines, almost like tentacles. Each design ends in a single stylized eye on the back of either hand. He grins. “Hey, Earl,” he says. “Dana said your roommate moved in. I thought I’d come say hello.”

“H–hi, Cecil,” Earl stammers. “Um, right, come in.” He holds open the door and steps aside. The apparition smiles at Carlos.

“Hi,” he chirps. “You must be Carlos, right?”

“Yeah,” says Carlos, blinking. “Hi.”

“I’m Cecil,” the apparition explains. “I’m a friend.”

“Nice to meet you,” says Carlos. Cecil studies him for a moment. “Your hair really is perfect,” he says eventually, and Carlos can feel the blush rising in his cheeks. “You’re a scientist?”

“I’m, um, a biochemistry major,” Carlos says. “So I guess so.”

“Biochemistry. Wow,” says Cecil. “I’m impressed. I’m communications. Radio broadcasting focus.” He has the voice for it, Carlos thinks. He can imagine hearing this boy on the radio. “You ought to join the radio station. Do music shows, talk shows, science shows, whatever. We’re always looking for fresh blood. If you want to listen, we’re at WTNV 96.6. It’s an FM station.”

“Oh, Cecil, that reminds me, I was thinking–” Earl starts, but Cecil waves him off.

“We can talk business later,” he says. “I came to invite you to my room before Moonlite. Pretty much everyone else is already there. Thought you might want to meet everyone, get acquainted, that sort of thing. It’s pretty low-key.”

“Um,” says Carlos.

“I’ll come,” Earl volunteers, and Carlos figures, well, what the hell.

“Sure,” he says, “I’d be glad to.”

Cecil beams at them both. “Oh, good! It’s not the same without you there, Earl, and everyone wants to meet Carlos.” Earl blushes bright red and Carlos remembers something Dana said earlier, something about a schoolboy crush. Well, it’s not like _he_ cares.

“Follow me!” Cecil declares, and marches out of the room. Earl is close behind. Carlos grabs his phone and his wallet and flicks off the light, shutting the door behind him.

~

As it turns out, Cecil’s room is a floor up, in the same dorm building. He has a single, and it’s small, but there are a number of people already crowded into it. Dana is sprawled across the bed, examining her fingernails. Perched on the windowsill is a short, slim young woman with a dark complexion and black curls falling around her shoulders; she’s got a three-ring binder open and is reading something from it, her brow furrowed and her lips moving soundlessly. There’s a girl who Carlos thinks can’t be more than fifteen years old sitting cross-legged in front of the wardrobe, a huge book open on her lap.

“We brought Earl’s new roommate,” Cecil announces to the room. Earl slides into the desk chair, Cecil hops onto his bed, pushing Dana's legs aside, and Carlos stands in the doorway, acutely aware of everyone’s eyes on him.

The young woman with the binder is the first one to speak. “Hey,” she says. Her voice is low and smooth, and she smiles at him. “Welcome to NVU. You must be Carlos, right? Dana was just talking about you. I’m Josie.”

“Tamika,” says the girl with the book, glancing up at him then returning to her reading.

“She’s our resident genius,” Dana says. “Tamika, I mean. She’s fourteen and easily the smartest of any of us. And Josie is secretly a siren.”

“Oh, please,” says Josie. “What she means is that I’m a voice major.”

“Um, nice to meet you guys,” Carlos says. “I’m Carlos, but I guess you already knew that. I’m a transfer from BU. Biochem major.”

“It's nice to meet you,” says Josie with a smile. “How are you liking it here so far?”

“It’s different,” says Carlos, “but, you know, I haven’t really been here long enough to say?”

“It grows on you,” she says. “It’s home.”

“So are we going?” Dana asks, sitting up. “I don’t know about you all, but I am so fucking hungry.”

“Let’s go,” Cecil says. “Somebody turn off the lights and close the door behind me, will you?”

He leads the way out of the room. Earl and Dana are the closest behind him; Tamika follows absently, still reading from her book. Carlos ends up at the back of the procession, next to Josie.

“So what brought you here?” she asks.

“That’s a good question,” says Carlos. “Um– well, I didn’t like BU much, and my advisor mentioned something about the sciences program here, and– well, I don’t really know. I’m just here.”

“That’s what happens to most of us,” Josie says. “But hey, if you’re here, it probably means you belong. The people who don’t, well–” she shrugs– “they don’t last long.”

Carlos must be showing his anxiety on his face, because Josie looks at him and laughs. “Don’t freak out,” she says. “I mean, it’s probably a little different than what you’re used to, but– well, I love it here. It’s home.”

They’ve reached the dorm’s door, and when they step outside, Carlos breathes in so sharply that Josie turns her head to make sure he is all right. The sun had set while they had been inside, and the desert is blanketed in a purple-black darkness. And above them, but a little bit in the distance, moving in strange auroral patterns, are faint and multicolored lights. He stops on the steps and stares upward, watching them undulate against the stars.

This is a scientific anomaly he has never seen, never even heard of. He opens his mouth to express his confusion, but no sound comes out, and he is left standing there gaping at the lights in the sky.

The rest of the group has stopped to look at him. He looks at them, and Cecil smiles.

“Welcome,” he says, “to Night Vale.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This has been a long time coming, and I offer my apologies. Life is crazy, school is crazy, I've never got as much writing time as I'd like. This chapter is, unfortunately, primarily housekeeping; I wanted to establish the crew before getting into the fun plot stuff. Hopefully more action to come soon!

**Author's Note:**

> The work's title is taken from Squalloscope's "Desert Pacific Octopi".
> 
> If anyone wants to get in touch, find me at theunembarrassedalto.tumblr.com!


End file.
